Romance del Río Dulce
Horacio Banegas Lyrics
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Nacer en las cumbres altas
Guanaco de los deshielos
Corriendo por las montañas
Mishky Mayu, Misky Mayu
Las voces quichuas lo llaman
Y por no querer detenerlo
Un canto de chalchaleros
Y la luna tucumana
Mishky Mayu, Misky Mayu
Las voces quichuas lo llaman
Pero el Río tiene prisa
De llanura y de vidala,
Por eso viene bajando
Porque lo apuran las cajas
Porque hay sabores muy dulces
De miel y aloja en sus aguas
Después la Blanca Salina
Tierra sedienta y amarga
La soledad de los jumes
Y las noches sin guitarras
Mishky Mayu, Misky Mayu
Las voces quichuas lo llaman
Y por quedarse en Santiago
Fluvial presencia en el mapa
Se desborda en los bañados
Entre un malambo de garzas
Mishky Mayu, Misky Mayu
Las voces quichuas lo llaman
Pero el Río tiene prisa
De llanura y de vidala
Por eso viene bajando
Porque lo apuran las cajas
Porque hay sabores muy dulces
De miel y aloja en sus aguas
The lyrics of Horacio Banegas's "Romance del Río Dulce" delve into the beauty and longing of the river Dulce. The first stanza speaks of the river's birth, high up in the mountains, observed by the clouds and the condor. The Guanaco, which runs free in the mountains, is compared to the river's unstoppable force. The Quichua people, natives of the Andean region, call the river Mishky Mayu or Misky Mayu, which roughly translates to "sweet river". The river is personified as a force of nature, unstoppable in its descent towards the plains.
The second stanza describes the river's journey as it journeys towards the plains. The river has no time to stop, as it is in a hurry to reach its destination. The imagery of the river surging ahead is aptly captured by the metaphor of "lo apuran las cajas", literally meaning that the river is being pushed from behind by boxes. The "sabores muy dulces de miel y aloja" are a reference to the regional produce that the river carries with it. The third and final stanza speaks of the river as it reaches Santiago del Estero, the city of the poet. Here, the river spills over its banks, creating marshes and estuaries, and adding to the landscape a dance of the herons. Throughout the song, the river is imbued with emotional depth and significance, making it a fitting homage to one of the most important natural features of the region and to the cultural significance of the Quichua people.
Line by Line Meaning
Lo ven las nubes y el cóndor
The river is observed by the clouds and the condor.
Nacer en las cumbres altas
Born in the high peaks.
Guanaco de los deshielos
Guanaco during the melting of the snow.
Corriendo por las montañas
Running through the mountains.
Mishky Mayu, Misky Mayu, Las voces quichuas lo llaman
Mishky Mayu, Misky Mayu, called by the Quechua voices.
Y por no querer detenerlo
And not wanting to stop it.
Hay un pañuelo de zambas
There is a handkerchief of zambas.
Un canto de chalchaleros
A song of chalchaleros.
Y la luna tucumana
And the moon of Tucumán.
Pero el Río tiene prisa
But the river is in a hurry.
De llanura y de vidala
From plains and from vidala (a type of Argentine folk music).
Por eso viene bajando
That's why it's coming down.
Porque lo apuran las cajas
Because the boxes hurry it.
Porque hay sabores muy dulces
Because there are very sweet flavors.
De miel y aloja en sus aguas
Of honey and aloja in its waters.
Después la Blanca Salina
Then the White Salina.
Tierra sedienta y amarga
Thirsty and bitter land.
La soledad de los jumes
The loneliness of the jumes (a type of tree).
Y las noches sin guitarras
And nights without guitars.
Por quedarse en Santiago
For staying in Santiago.
Fluvial presencia en el mapa
Riverine presence on the map.
Se desborda en los bañados
It overflows in the flooded areas.
Entre un malambo de garzas
Amidst a dance of herons.
Writer(s): Juan Carlos Carabajal, Dalmiro Coronel Lugones, Dermidio Horacio Banegas
Contributed by Benjamin M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.